In general, a washing machine is a machine that washes clothes using electric power and has a tub that stores water, a rotatable drum inside the tub, and a drive unit (e.g., motor) that causes the drum to rotate. The washing machine has a water supply pipe for supplying water to the tub. One side or end of the water supply pipe is connected to an external water supply source, and the water supply pipe supplies water from the water supply source to the tub. The washing machine performs a series of washing processes using rotational motion of the drum, such as washing, rinsing, and spin-drying laundry.
Recently, a washing machine has been developed that may be installed in a small or narrow space and may be mounted on a wall. The background art of the washing machine is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2013-0064627 (Jun. 18, 2013).
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating part of a washing machine according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, according to the related art, the washing machine 10 has a tub main body 20 that stores water, a front tub 30 that covers a front side of the tub main body 20, a front panel 40 at a front side of the front tub 30, and a detergent case 50 which stores and dispenses detergent.
According to the related art, washing machine 10 has a detergent case 50 coupled to the front panel 40. To couple the detergent case 50 with the front panel 40, a protrusion 41 is on an outer surface of front panel 40, and a groove or slot 51 is in the detergent case 50. The protrusion 41 of the front panel 40 may be inserted into the groove of the detergent case 50 such that the detergent case 50 and the front panel 40 couple with each other. When the detergent case 50 is coupled to the front panel 40, the detergent case 50 may dispense detergent into the tub main body 20.
Because water is stored in the tub main body 20, the tub main body 20 may be sealed to prevent leaking. According to the related art, a sealing member 60 may be between the front tub 30 and the front panel 40 to seal the tub main body 20.
A protruding portion 31 of the front tub 30 protrudes toward the front panel 40, and the sealing member 60 is coupled to or in contact with a side surface of the protruding portion 31. The detergent case 50 may be inserted into an opening in the protruding portion 31. The protruding portion 31 may have a cylindrical shape. The sealing member 60 may also have a cylindrical shape.
According to the related art washing machine 10, the sealing member 60 is coupled to an outer surface of the protruding portion 31 to seal the tub main body 20. However, since both the protruding portion 31 and the sealing member 60 may have a cylindrical shape, curved surfaces of the protruding portion 31 and the sealing member 60 come into contact with each other. As a result, the curvature of an outer surface of the protruding portion 31 should closely match the curvature of an inner surface of the sealing member 60 in order to seal the tub main body 20. When the sealing member 60 and the front tub 30 do not come into close contact with each other, the tub main body 20 may not be sealed. As a result, the water in the tub main body 20 may leak out of the tub main body 20, and the washing machine may need to be scrapped or repaired.
According to the related art washing machine 10, the detergent case 50 is coupled to the front panel 40. The detergent case 50 extends into the tub main body 20 and must protrude out of the tub main body 20 when the detergent case 50 is coupled to the front panel 40 So that the washing machine may be installed in a small or narrow space or on a wall, there is a desire to miniaturize or reduce a size and/or depth of the washing machine.